Mining symposium a venue for exposure

Matthew Dorreen of Weaver-Simmons LLP in Sudbury mans a booth at the recent Ontario Exploration and Geoscience Symposium in the city.

Visitors to the Ontario Exploration and
Geoscience Symposium in Sudbury could find booths displaying
large-format printers to the latest in geophysical technology.

The
two-day event, which focuses on junior miners and exploration and
development companies, also showcased some of the services that could
be of interest to them.

While geotechnical companies made up
the majority of booths, a law firm and an engineering firm said the
symposium offered them an opportunity to reach out to the exploration
industry.

Weaver-Simmons LLP, based in Sudbury,
is the largest full-service law firm in northeastern Ontario with a
staff of more than 30 lawyers.

“We have a lot of exploration
companies and mining clients as well as some mining supply
companies,” said Matthew Dorreen, who focuses on mining in his
practice. “We are pretty busy right now so it is good to see faces
from time to time and we thought it would be a good idea to have a
presence (at the symposium).”

While the firm has attended similar
mining events, such as the Prospectors and Developers Association of
Canada's annual international convention in Toronto, it never had a
booth.

“This is the first year we have had a
booth at a trade show like this and it has generated some interest
from a wide range of people,” he said.

In Sudbury, only a few people practise
in the area of mining, but some of the bigger firms in Toronto are
involved.

“We are seeing them on the other side
of some transactions, but in Sudbury, it is still a fairly niche
practice.”

The firm deals with a range of clients
including prospectors who might be contesting claims, to large mining
companies acquiring large areas of property.

“It could be people who want to enter
an option agreement, or parties getting financing. It is pretty
varied, but, at the end of the day, it is just mining property,”
Dorreen said.

While some law schools may offer a few
courses on mining, it is an area lawyers get into after they are
called to the bar.

“There are some certificates you can
get, and continuing professional educational courses you can take. My
practice has its roots in property law so it just grew from there,”
he said.

The provincial government introduced
some new changes to the mining act and Dorreen said it is something
everyone will have to get used to.

“Ultimately, it is designed to
protect everyone, but it does create more and more hurdles to get
over in the exploration phase,” he said.

For global engineering firm Exp, which
has an office in Sudbury, junior miners and prospectors represent a
market the company wants to grow.

“It's very much a growth market and
there are a lot of people (at the symposium), so we want to express
our interest,” said Don Alarie, vice-president of business
development.

The company, previously called Trow, is
involved in the industry, except for process work.

“We do have a very broad spectrum and
mining is a particular focus,” he said. “There is still some
confusion about what the name is, and some people in the mining
sector don't know us so that's why we are (at the symposium).”

Alarie takes every opportunity to
explain what the company is about and how it can generate solutions
for mining companies at any level.

“We are the only engineering firm
here (at the symposium) and it is a good opportunity for us,” he
said.